Industrial

The beginnings of the firm of Robert Fletcher & Son Limited are lost in the mist of time. It is probably that it was one of the first concerns which the industrial revolution brought to this part or Lancashire. It is know that the firm was first owned by a …

Built in 1933/4 the imperial grain warehouse at Leith is an monumental 15-bay flat-roofed concrete grain elevator and warehouse with front block rising 5-storeys over storage base. Expanded twice in the 1950s & 1960s its operation life extended well into the 21st century. It bosts much of it’s original machinary …

Originally known as The Markinch Power Station it was built to provide electricity and steam to the paper mill. Construction took two years and was completed in 1914. The original boilers and generators were replaced with 3 parson turbine/generator sets in 1951. An addtional forth turbine was later added. By …

I last visited Tower back nearly 6 years ago. It was sad to see that the site is a shaddow of what it once was. The story of Tower Colliery is one of fighting the system and of great success & local pride. Along with all deep mines, Tower was …

The Dinorwic Slate Quarry is a large former slate quarry, now home to the Welsh National Slate Museum, located between the villages of Llanberis and Dinorwig in north Wales. It was the second largest slate quarry in Wales, indeed in the world, after the neighbouring Penrhyn Quarry. It covered more …

The original site in Willenhall at Doctors Piece was once a piece of land belonging to Doctor Richard Wilkes, which eventually passed into the ownership of the Chapel of Ease estate. During the cholera epidemic in 1849, the land at the side of the forge was hastily turned into a …

Out of the 5 mills situated in Talybont the mill was the only one built on the banks of the River Celuan. It is sometimes refereed to as Heron Mill. Built in 1847 by the Morris family it prominently produced flannel and cloth. Although originally powered by a small waterwheel …

Leri / Lerry Mills, situated at the confluence of the Ceulan and Leri rivers produced Tweed for suit making using both water wheels from the river and workers to power the looms and spinning machinery. Little history can be found about the mills but they were built on the site …

There are a handful of ‘iconic’ sites within the UK exploring community. I could talk to you for hours about some of the truly great asylums such as Cane Hill & West Park. Others would talk about the great industrial sites like Pyestock and some would talk about the hidden …

The Maltings were built by Bass Breweries at the start of the 20th century and were the largest of their kind in the country. Costing £350’000 to build the site was operational by Bass until 1959 when production was ceased. In 1973 it was acquired by Padleys who used the …

One of my favourite explores as result of also being one of the first I ever posted on this website. I also remember looking at this factory when it was still operational during my early teenage life. It’s a place that has always fascinated me. A huge relic of the …

Vencel Resil product building and cavity wall insulation. The Whitecroft site, along with another site in Glasgow, closed in June 2009 after the company felt the effects of the financial downturn. The Whitecroft closure resulted in the loss of 13 jobs and a further blow to dwindling industry in the …